Closures for bottles



Nov. 20, 1962 F. HOFFMANN CLOSURES FOR BOTTLES flwo.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 5

Iwenfo r: Hoffman/Ia Filed June 19, 1959 Nov. 20, 1962 F. HOFFMANN CLOSURES FOR BOTTLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1959 Fig, 7

llnited This invention relates to a closure, capable of being repeatedly opened and closed, for bottles, the neck of which has an aliround external extension, consisting of a tight-jointing member adapted to be forced over the bottle mouth in the form of an elastically yielding sealing cap containing an axial outflow passage, extending beyond the edge of the bottle mouth as far as below the surrounding projection and adapted through elastic clamping action of its bottom edge engaging behind the surrounding projection to be fixed permanently on the bottle mouth, and of a releasable closure member of substantially rigid material, which is adapted tightly to close the outflow passage of the sealing cap.

Bottle closures, in which the i ht-jointing member has a preferably central outflow passage and remains connected with the bottle mouth so as to be permanently fluid-tight and fixed, the closure being effected with the aid of a releasable closure member of Substantially rigid material, which shuts ofl" the outflow passage of the tight-jointing member, have this advantage as compared with the generally known closures with a packing insertion arranged in the closure and adapted to be released with the latter, that the tight-jointing takes place between the elastic packing member and the releasable closure member, which can both be made with very accurate tolerances in size with smooth surfaces as pressed or diecast pieces, so that their tight-jointing surfaces will bear fully against one another.

The formation of the elastically yielding tight-jointing member as an elastic body embracing the bottle mouth in the manner of a cap and being fixed by the clamping action of its bottom edge behind a projection embracing the bottle neck enables the tight-jointing member to be fixed to the bottle mouth in a very simple manner, all

that is necessary being for the tight-iointing member to 'be pressed by axial forces firmly on to the bottle neck,

until it lower edge snaps in behind the surrounding projection of the bottle neck.

When as closure member only a stopper with a grip is used, which is forced into the outflow passage of the tight-jointing member or cap, then the contents of the bottle will be sealed only by one surrounding packing surface between the stopper and inner surface of the outflow passage. If, when pouring out, parts of the bottle contents remain in the outflow passage, where they may surface dry, forming an incrustation, this single tight-jointing will be insuflicient, more particularly in the case of readily evaporating liquids, such as cosmetic, alcoholcontaining liquids.

The present invention has for its object to improve the sealing of a bottle closure of the kind above referred to and to provide a closure with double sealing effect, which i easy to manufacture and of which at least one tight joint lies at a place which is not normally wetted by the bottle contents and can consequently not be detrimentally affected by surface drying of the liquid or the formation of adhering incrustations.

A further object of the invention consists in so constructing a closure with double sealing effect that at both sealing places relatively high sealing pressures are obtained. A special constructional form of the invention,

finally, has for its object to facilitate the release of the closure, even where the bottle contents to be sealed oft consist of a readily adhering liquid which may lead to the closure member becoming stuck firmly to the tight-jointing member or the sealing cap and can then only be released by the application of considerable force.

The invention consists substantially in this, that in a bottle closure with a tight-jointing member which can be firmly applied to the bottle mouth and is in the form of an elastically yielding sealing cap which contains an axial outflow passage the releasable closure member is a closed closure cap adapted to be forced on to the sealing cap and having an at least approximately cylindrical cavity which at its bottom has a closure member for closing the outflow passage and with its cap Wall firmly presses the edge of the sealing cap against the surrounding projection of the bottle neck.

The construction of the closure member as a closed cap which both shuts off the outflow passage of the tightjointing member and also presses the part of this tightjointing member, which embraces the bottle mouth, elastically deforming the member, firmly against the cylindrical surface of the bottle neck, results in a two-fold sealing oif of the bottle contents, at least the tight-jointing surfaces of the second seal at the outer periphery of the tight-jointing member remaining clean or being easily cleaned and the tight-jointing effect being therefore safe from deterioration through drying-on residue of the bottle contents.

It has been found to be of advantage to make the outflow passage tight-jointing member in the form of a tube constituting a central continuation of the tight-jointing member and to make its dimensions such that at least a portion of this passage can be forced tightly into bottle neck, its outer surface bearing tightly against the smooth inner wall of the bottle neck. The closure cap can then itself either-more particularly in die case of closures for bottles with a content that will not form a crustbe provided with a slightly conical spigot which engages in the part of the outflow passage forced into the bottle neck with elastic deformation of the tubular wall of the passage, or it can be made with an inner hollow cylindrical extension resting on its bottom, which reaches over a tubular part of the outflow passage, which extends at the top out of the tight-jointing member and tightly embraces this tube part from the outside.

In the former case the inner tight-jointing is effected by the spigot of the sealing cap against the inner wall of the outflow tube, the wall of which is substantially prevented through its bearing firmly against the inner Wall of the bottle neck from yielding; in the second case the tight-jointing surface bears against the outer wall of the outflow passage tube, the tight-jointing pressure being taken up by the elastically radially compressible outflow passage tube. lncrustation formations in the outflow passage will then not be detrimental to good tight-jointing.

Both kinds of tight-jointing of the outflow passage tube can of course be combined with one another, in which case a three-fold tight-jointing of the bottle neck would result.

Further objects, advantages and features of the present invention may be gathered from the description of some constructional examples illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a vertical axial section through a bottle month which is closed by a bottle closure according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 a vertical axial section through a tightjointing member of the bottle closure according to FIG- URE l, to a larger scale;

FIGURE 3 a different constructional form of the bottle closure similar to FIGURE 1;

c eeses V FIGURES 4 and a novel construction of the upper part of a bottle which is provided with a bottle closure according to FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 a bottle closure similar to FIGURE 1, the cap of which has at its bottom edge a helical thread;

FIGURE 7 a vertical axial section through a modified form of the bottle closure according to the invention and FIGURE 8 a sectional representation of the tightjointing member of the closure according to FIGURE 7.

The bottle closure illustrated in FIGURE 1 consists of a cap-shaped tight-jointing member 2 of elastically yielding synthetic material, for instance polyethylene, which is forced firmly over the bottle mouth, and a releasable closure member in the form of a closed cap 3 of rigid pressed material, which with a moulded-on spigot 4 at its bottom end closes the central outflow passage 5 of the tight-jointing member 2 and also with its substantially cylindrical cap wall 6 presses the wall part 7 of the tight-jointing member 2, embracing the bottle mouth, firmly against the outer convex surface 8, more particularly the convex surface of the surrounding projection 9 of the bottle neck, behind which an inner marginal beading 10 of the cap-like tight-jointing member 2 is snapped in. A ring of the ribs 3a on the head part of the cap 3 forms a convenient grip for releasing or forcing on the cap.

The cap-like tight-jointing member 2 shown by itself in FIGURE 2 has an axial outflow passage 5 which is of substantially tubular shape and with its inwardly extending tubular part 11 can be pressed tightly into the bottle neck, when the downwardly slightly conical widening convex surface 12 of the tubular part 11 will bear with high pressure against the inner surface of the bottle neck or the bottle mouth 1 which already during the manufacture of the bottle has been given a slight outward bulge. The lower section of the tubular part 11 is formed as an insertion cone 13, the internal diameter of which becomes increasingly constricted towards the lower end. This formation of the lower section 13 of the tubular part 11 is intended to facilitate its insertion into the bottle neck and, in addition, to provide a free zone capable of being expanded by the spigot 4 of the cap 3, in which a sufliciently high tight-jointing pressure can always be produced, which will be independent of inaccuracies in the internal dimensions of the bottle neck.

In the vicinity of the lower edge of the wall part 7 of the cap-shaped tight-jointing part 2 is the internal beading 10 which is bounded in its cross-section roughly by a semicircle and below which there is still a short piece 7a of the wall part 7. The rounding of the internal beading 10 has the object of facilitating the forcing of the tight-jointing member over the bottle mouth 1, the curvature of the beading 10 easing its sliding over the gently rising conical part of the surrounding projection 9 of the bottle mouth 1.

After the tight-jointing cap 2 has been brought into its operational position (see FIGURE 1), it can no longer be drawn off the bottle mouth 1, even with the application of great force. It has been found that a forcible release of the tight-jointing cap 2 from the bottle mouth 1 is practically only possible with the destruction of the tight-jointing cap, if, for instance, the external diameter of the surrounding projection 9 and the internal diameter of the beading 10 be so balanced with respect to the extension to breaking point of the material of the tight-jointing cap 2 that the latter is already stressed up to near the limit of its strength.

7 The bottle closure illustrated in FIGURE 3 diflers from the closure according to FIGURE 1 only by the different construction of the closure cap 3', the external form of which is adapted by downwardly drawn hoodlike extensions 14 moulded on the head part of the cap in plan view to the cross-section of the upper part of the bottle 15, so that the outer wall surfaces of the cap 4 lengthen the contour of the bottle 15 upwards without offset or break. The tight-jointing cap 2 and the central cavity of the closure cap 3 with the spigot 4 are made substantially exactly as in the bottle closure according to FIGURE 1.

The plastic caps 3 and 3' of the two bottle closures according to FIGURES 1, and 3 are made in the form of slip-on caps which, for closing the bottle, are simply forced axially on to tight-jointing cap 2. 7

When very good tight-jointing is to be' aimed at an consequently the tight-jointing pressure has to be great, the forces required for pulling off the plastic cap 3 or 3' are relatively high, as the friction between the jointing surfaces of the closure cap and the tight-jointing cap 2, lying on one another with high surface pressure, is great.

For making the pulling off operation easier, in the case of the bottle closure according to FIGURE 3 the upper part of the bottle 15 is provided with ramps 16a and 16b inclined with respect to one another (cf. FIGURES 4 and 5), up which, on the plastic cap 3' being turned, the lateral edges 17 of the cap will run, the cap being at the same time displaced in the axial direction by an amount given by the height of a rooflike ridge formed by the ramps 16a and 16b. Through this first displacement of the cap the frictional forces occurring at the very slightly conical tight-jointing surfaces will be already considerablyreduced, so that after being turned through about the cap can be removed without effort.

It should be clear, that the same effect can also be obtained, by forming at the bottle neck a short thread 18, for instance containing only a single convolution, and by providing the lower edge of the cap wall 6 with a corresponding short counter thread 19. With such a cap and bottle construction, shown in FIGURE 6 to a smaller scale, the cap 3" is first forced over the bottle mouth or the tight-jointing cap and is then screwed on to the thread 18 of the bottle neck until it has a firm tight-jointing seat. When releasing the cap 3" the thread 18, 19 will act in the same manner as the inclined surfaces 16a and 16b in the case of a bottle according to FIGURES 4 and 5.

In FIGURE 7 a bottle closure according to the invention is shown, in which the plastic cap 20 does not have a spigot at its inner bottom surface, but an internal hollow cylinder extension 21 which engages over a tubular part 22 of the outflow passage 5, which extends up wards out of the tight-jointing cap 2' and engages from the outside in a tight-jointing manner round this tube part. As in this case the tight-jointing takes place on the outer surface and not within the outflow passage, greater security for a satisfactory tight-jointing effect is ensured; crustations which might become deposited in the outflow passage 5 will have no influence on the elficiency of the tight-jointing effect.

Finally, FIGURE 8 shows a tight-jointing cap 2 which is of exactly the same construction as the tight-jointmg cap 2 in the bottle closure according to FIGURE 7. The tubular'part 22 of the outflow passage 5 is 1n the case of the tight-jointing cap 2' temporarily shut off by a cap-shaped, thin-walled hood 23. I Since, as already explained, the cap-like tight-jointing member, 2 may, after being forced on to a filled bottle, no longer be capable of being drawn off or removed from the bottle mouth without being destroyed, the uninjured state of the tight-jointing member 2', still completely shut ofi by the hood 23, provides a guarantee, that the contents of the bottle represents an original filling of the manufacturer.

Before the bottle is put in use and after the removal or unscrewing of the plastic cap the hood 23 is first cut oft for the purpose of opening up the outflow passage 5 of the tight-jointing member 2.

FIGURE 7 shows at the upper end of the tubular part 22 of the tight-jointing member 2' the remaining stump 23a of the cut off hood 23.

I claim:

"1. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said neck having an externally tapered Section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantial sleeve-shaped resilient part having a section of an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said section with increasing diameter lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said decreasing diameter being smaller than the diameter of the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner mar inal beading at its lower part, said sleeve covering the outer face of the neck, said marginal beading of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, said sleeve and said sleeve-shaped part being joined together by a fiat-ring-shaped portion, a rigid plug adapted sealingly to close the outflow passage of said sleeve-shaped part by pressing the plug into the outflow passage, a rigid skirt surrounding the sleeve and sealingly pressing it against the neck, a disc-like portion connecting the skirt with the plug and means for disengaging said rigid sealing plug and said skirt.

2. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said neck having an externally tapered section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantial sleeveshaped resilient part having a section an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said section with increasing diameter lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said decreasing diameter being smaller than the diameter of the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner marginal beading at its lower part, said sleeve covering the outer face of the neck, said marginal beading of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, said sleeve and said sleeve-shaped part being joined together by a fiat-ringshaped portion, a rigid plug adapted sealingly to close the outflow passage of said sleeve-shaped part by pressing the plug into the outflow passage, a rigid skirt surrounding the sleeve and sealingly pressing it against the neck, a disclike portion connecting the skirt with tne plug, a further outer skirt surrounding the first-mentioned skirt and depending from the disc-like portion, said outer skirt engaging a ramp-like portion on the bottle in such a manner that when said outer skirt is turned the outer skirt and plug are moved upwards.

3. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said neck having an externally tapered section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantially sleeve-shaped resilient part having a section of an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said section with increasing diameter lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said decreasing diameter being smaller than the diameter of the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner marginal beading at its lower part, said sleeve covering the outer face of the neck, said marginal bearing of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, said sleeve and said sleeve-shaped part being joined together by a flat-ring-shaped portion, a rigid plug ada ted sealingly to close the outflow passage of said sleeve-shaped part by pressing the plug into the outflow passage, a rigid skirt surrounding the sleeve and sealing pressing it against the neck, a disc-like portion connecting the skirt with the plug and said skirt having below said sleeve a screwing engagement to a part of the bottle in such a manner that when said skirt is turned said skirt and plug are moved upwards.

4. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said eck having an externally tapered section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantial sleeveshaped resilient part having a section of an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said section with increasing diameter lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said decreasing diameter being smaller than the diameter of the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner marginal beading at its lower part, said sleeve covering the outer face of the neck, said marginal heading of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, said sleeeve and said sleeve-shaped part being joined together by a flat-ring-shaped portion, a rigid plug adapted sealingly to close the outflow passage of said sleeve-shaped part by pressing the plug into the outflow passage, a rigid skirt surrounding the sleeve and sealingly pressing it against the neck, a disc-like portion connecting the skirt with a plug, a further outer skirt surrounding the firstmentioned skirt and abutting against a part of the bottle and having a contour that is in line with the general outline of said part of the bottle, said outer skirt outwardly depending from the disc-like portion and engaging a ramp-like portion on the bottle in such a manner that when said outer skirt is turned the outer skirt and plug are moved upwards.

5. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said neck having an externally tapered section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantially sleeve-shaped resilient part fitting the upper end of the neck and standing out from it with an upper portion of tubular cylindrical shape, said sleeve-shaped resilient part having a middle portion of an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said middle section lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said lower portion having a smaller diameter than the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner marginal beading at its lower part and covering the outer face of the neck, said marginal heading of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the upper end of said sleeve being joined to said sleeveshaped part by a fiat-ring-shaped portion, a rigid cap comprising a cylindrical skirt, which engages the periphery of the resilient sleeve and presses said sleeve against the outer surface of the neck, a hollow cylindrical part fixed to the bottom of said cap and engaging the outer surface of said tubular cylindrical portion and an outer skirt surrounding the first mentioned cylindrical skirt and engaging a ramp-like portion on the bottle in such manner that when said outer cap is turned said cylindrical skirt and cylindrical part are disengagingly moved upwards. A

6. In combination, a bottle, an upwardly extending neck on the bottle, said neck having an externally tapered section with a downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the inner surface of said neck defining in the bottle mouth section a slight outward bulge, an inner substantially sleeve-shaped resilient part fitting the upper end of the neck and standing out therefrom with an upper portion of tubular cylindrical shape, said sleeve-shaped resilient part having a middle portion of an increasing outer diameter and a lower portion of decreasing diameter, said middle section lining the upper part of the bulge of the bottle mouth, said lower portion having a smaller diameter than the radially opposite part of the bulged bottle mouth, a resilient sleeve having an inner marginal beading at its lower part and covering the outer face of the neck,

said marginal beading of the sleeve being adapted to snap behind the downwardly facing annular abutment surface, the upper end of said sleeve being joined to said sleeve-shaped part by a fiat-ring-shaped portion, a rigid cap comprising a cylindrical skirt, which engages the periphery of the resilient sleeve and presses said sleeve against the outer surface of the neck, a hollow cylindrical part fixedly secured to the bottom of said cap and engaging the outer surface of said tubular cylindrical OI- tion and an outer skirt surrounding the first mentioned cylindrical skirt, said outer skirt abutting against a part of the bottle, the contour of said outer skirt being such that it is in line with the general outline of said part of'the bottle, said outer skirt engaging a ramp-like portion on the bottle insuchia manner-that when said outer cap is turned said cylindrical skirt. and-1 cylindrical part are disengagingly moved upwards.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,843,699 Sierad Feb. 2, 1932 2,228,936 Vlalter Jan; 14, 1941 2,476,155 McKelvy July 12,, 1949 2,699,861 Tupper Oct. 5,. 1954 2,713,953 Jewell July 26, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 138,155 Australia July 31, 1950 

